Stay
by Red Bess Rackham
Summary: Julie is at the bus stop and who should come running, but the very man she did not want to be thinking about. Oneshot.


**A/n**: I just saw "The Family Stone", really enjoyed it, and was hoping someone had written a fic for it. Alas, there was no fic, and I just couldn't wait for one, so I decided to write myself. :P If you haven't see it yet, it's great (though sad!).

Warning: this contains spoilers for the ending! This little one-shot starts off from the part when Everett is running to catch Julie at the bus stop. I can't remember exact dialogue, so it's going to be somewhat shorter and/or changed a bit. Oh, you'll see. Written on the spot, so I hope its ok. Enjoy, and review me – make me happy. :D

(Later – I went through and edited this, so it should be better – and Dermot Mulroney is such a babe. And I wrote this after I saw it the theatres, took it off ff, edited it, and am no reposting it just after the DVD came out. Enjoy.)

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Julie Morton's long blonde hair swayed as a chilly breeze blew past. She sucked in her breath and continued trying her best to stay relatively still. She felt nervous and strange it was finding it difficult to stay still, thus it was task to concentrate on. Her hands were twisting hard in front of her, her lips were becoming numb from the cold air, and all she wanted to do was get away from everything _now_.

Not for the first time, _his _face flooded her mind. How could she have been so stupid? She actually was falling in love with Meredith's fiancé! _Not fiancé. _She silently corrected herself. Everett hadn't proposed and after the disaster at breakfast this morning, he probably wouldn't.

_It doesn't matter._ She thought angrily and tried to stop twisting her hands. It didn't matter because she was leaving and she was never going to see Everett again – unless Meredith did end up marrying him after all. Wouldn't that be great. She'd have to walk down the aisle as the Maid of Honor, to the man she wanted to marry, then look on as her sister married him instead.

But Meredith - hadn't she been saying she'd slept with Ben? No, Ben had said nothing had happened, because Meredith was drunk. He'd explained he'd been a perfect gentleman. That's right. That's why Everett had taken off after Ben and tried to punch his face in. Because he thought Meredith had slept with him.

Julie sighed, desperately searched for another subject in her mind, and tried sitting on the bench at the small bus stop. Where was the bus? Why was it taking so long? She glanced at her watch and noted with dismay that if it came right at that moment then it would be several minutes early. Well, why couldn't it be early? Then she could get away. Far away. She wished Meredith had never convinced her to come down here in the first place. It was only wrecking her life.

Julie physically shook her head and shifted on the bench. _Don't think about it. Think about something else._

It was very cold outside and now she was hoping the bus could be early just so she could sit in its warmth. Julie cupped her hands and blew on them to help warm them up. She glanced at the area around the bus stop, and thought everything looked still and pleasant. Just as it should on Christmas Day.

Her eyes landed on the Inn, where she and Meredith had been staying. That thought lead to the memory of Everett and her going out to look for Meredith and Ben when they didn't return the other night. In turn, that led to the memory of her turning down – with much difficulty – his offer to just have a coffee, even though it'd been practically the middle of the night.

_No!_ she thought. _This isn't helping! _

She ripped her eyes away from the friendly looking Inn. She shifted uncomfortably on the bench and was suddenly painfully aware of just how bright the light above her head was. The light was blinding and she wished she could turn it off. When she shut her eyes against its glare, all she saw was Everett's handsome face. _Oh gosh… I love him._ She opened her eyes and they stung from the biting cold and the sudden hot tears gathering.

She wiped her eyes dry on her gloves and stood again. Where was the flipping bus? The farther away she became – she was sure – the less she would be forced to think of Everett.

"Julie!" someone shouted.

Julie whipped her head toward the shout and recognized the one man she was thinking of and desperately didn't want to be thinking of. _Everett._

Her breath caught in her throat and her heart began to pound. He was running towards her…

"Julie." He'd reached her and took both her hands in his. "Stay. Julie, please. _Please_ stay. Don't go." His voice wasn't more than a whisper and sounded full of emotion.

"I…" she started and almost couldn't bear to look him in the eye.

_I don't want to leave._ She thought. _But I have to._

He looked at her pleadingly and she was startled as the bus she was waiting for rumbled up to the stop. She hadn't heard it coming. Her stomach gave a horrible lurch. This was it.

"I can't." she said, her voice sounding wobbly and choked. "You and Meredith… I-I can't…"

He shook his head. "No. She's not the one I'm love with." He rested his forehead against hers and gave her hands a squeeze.

It was tearing her heart out. She loved him too… but she couldn't stay. She just couldn't.

"Merry Christmas." The bus driver said as he approached her and her things. "You want a hand with that?" he gestured to her luggage.

"Yes, yes please." Julie nodded and used the bus driver as an excuse to pull away from Everett. Gosh, he was _so_ handsome…

"Julie, no." he caught her arm. "_Please_."

She opened her mouth to tell him goodbye, and nothing came out. Her voice was suddenly gone. She clenched her jaw shut and gently pulled her arm away. He looked so hurt…

"Bye." She finally croaked and boarded the bus behind the bus driver.

His shoulders sagged and he swallowed against the emotion rising in his throat. She was leaving… she was really leaving…

The bus doors shut and Everett had the urge to pound on them and beg Julie to stay… he'd liked Meredith so much, but what he felt for Julie was something completely different. It was so different and somehow stronger… and Meredith was with Ben… she was happy… he needed to be happy too…

"Don't go…" he mouthed to her figure through the window.

The bus pulled away slowly from the stop. Everett was left standing alone, watching the love he'd finally found slide away. He could run after the bus… but he'd already asked her. He begged her. He'd said he loved her. She wasn't staying, there was nothing he could do now to change that. He completely forgot that Thad and Kelly were in the vehicle not far away watching what had just happened, watching Julie leave.

Tears stung his eyes fiercely. Everett bowed his head and bit his lip. He was a man. He wasn't going to cry, no matter how much he felt like it. At least, not in front of Thad and Kelly.

* * *

The bus engines roared as it pulled away from the bus stop. There was no breath in Julie's throat. She was leaving him behind – for real this time. No going back.

Then why did it feel so wrong?

The image of when she'd been stepping off the bus flashed in her mind. She'd been following the people in front of her, and then she'd looked up and saw his face… something electric had smashed through her. She would never admit it, but that's why she'd missed the next step. Her eyes had been filled with his and she'd been completely unaware that she was taking a much wider stride than was possible on three little bus steps.

Her stomach clenched in the same instant and she couldn't do it.

_Screw this._ She thought. _He loves me. I can't g – I love him back. _

"Driver!" she shouted and jumped to her feet, startling several people. "Stop the bus!"

* * *

Everett saw the bus suddenly stop. His heart leapt into his throat… surely…

And then the reverse lights went on.

The cold weight that had settled in his chest suddenly disappeared. His features cracked into a wide grin and took off running to the bus. As soon as he made it around to the front of the bus, Julie came colliding straight into his arms.

"I – I just thought – " She sounded excited and out of breath. Her cheeks were red and oh, gosh she looked beautiful. "What are you doing New Year's Eve?"

He smiled and she laughed. They hugged and then he shared his first kiss with the only woman he was ever going to be truly in love with. When they finally broke apart, Everett half-smiled.

"So I take it you're staying after all?"

**END**

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**A/n:** So? How was it? Tell me what you thought! Even if it's just a one-word review. You read it, review me!


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